Belarus Lithuania: Helpers siphon off mud - search for US soldiers continues
In Lithuania, the search for four missing US soldiers and the recovery of their military vehicle, which is several meters deep in mud, continues. According to Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene, helpers at the military training area in Pabrade are still trying to recover the tank discovered in a swampy body of water.
28.03.2025, 23:00
SDA
"We were able to siphon off some of the mud overnight, but not enough, as water continues to flow in from the nearby lake," she said on Lithuanian radio. The ground had also been reinforced so that more specialist equipment and heavy machinery could be brought to the site.
Two to three meters of mud removed - no sight of tanks yet
According to Sakaliene, the mud layer is up to five meters deep. Although two to three meters were removed overnight, there is still no visibility of the vehicle. It is also still unclear whether the missing soldiers are in the military vehicle, which weighs several tons. For this reason, further search measures were carried out in the area during the night using thermal imaging cameras and other equipment, said Sakaliene.
"My thoughts are with the relatives of the soldiers and I am still hoping for a miracle," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda during a visit to Pabrade, according to a radio report. Earlier on Thursday evening, EU Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius had also made his way to the training area, located a good 50 kilometers northeast of the capital Vilnius.
Missing since Tuesday
The four US soldiers have been missing since Tuesday. They could no longer be found after an exercise during which, according to the US, they were carrying out planned tactical training. The Lithuanian military and police then launched a joint search operation with the US military. This ultimately led to the location of their M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle in a body of water on the training ground. Pabrade is not far from the border with Belarus.
